


What Is and What Should Always Be

by chucks_prophet



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Canon, Declarations Of Love, Episode: s14e12 Prophet and Loss, Episode: s14e13 Lebanon, Fluffy, Gen, Headcanon, It's a Nice Stew I've Cooked Up, Love Confessions, M/M, Reconciliation, Slightly crack, Some Humor, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 13:16:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17684183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chucks_prophet/pseuds/chucks_prophet
Summary: Sam clears his throat. John glances from his youngest and back to his oldest. His eyes, a few seconds ago brimming with tears from an uncharacteristic mix of sadness, confusion, and elation—are now just confused. He starts to raise a finger, but before he can get a word in, Dean adds, with a clearer throat too: “Oh yeah, and I guess Cas and I are... together?"In which everything is the same as we know it so far for 14x13 (from the promo and the teaser clip), except Dean and Castiel actually had a big turning point scene in the episode prior.





	What Is and What Should Always Be

It’s been a strange week. This coming from the same men who’ve been sucked into television (twice), served the Lord buttermilk pancakes in their kitchen, and have reconnected with their dead mother over Word Scrabble and an alternate universe they opened after an attempt to shove God’s Least Favorite Son into it—all in the past  **year**.

And now. Now they’re stuck in another alternate universe. One where their dad is alive, Sam is an Internet-famous Pauly D minus the slap-on tans and oversized shirts, Dean’s a much handsomer Ted Bundy, and Castiel is his—

“Boy. Is that all?”

Sam chuckles. Dean rolls his eyes and grins, but before he can get too happy, he hears Castiel rummaging in the kitchen for beers.

When he returns with three Coronas, he not only plops down next to Dean, he leans his head on his shoulder.

Sam clears his throat. John glances from his youngest and back to his oldest. His eyes, a few seconds ago brimming with tears from an uncharacteristic mix of sadness, confusion, and elation—are now just confused. He starts to raise a finger, but before he can get a word in, Dean adds, with a clearer throat too: “Oh yeah, and I guess Cas and I are... together? Cas is the nickname I gave him a few weeks after I met him, because ‘Castiel’ reminded me too much of that guy that burned Pamela Barnes’ eyes out during a séance, and...  _anyway—”_

Dean cuts himself off because of that oh so  _painful_ memory involving Pamela grabbing him in the same place Cas is now. “‘m not sure when I actually professed my love, but here we are... and he’s holding my hand now.”

“Dean. You should remember it like it was yesterday because it  _literally_ was yesterday.”

Dean blinks a few times. Mainly to wake up and confirm that this is all a dream. It wouldn’t be the first time. Either way, if he’s a Slurpee for a Djinn, or actually dreaming peacefully for once, Michael is bound to snap him out of it.

“Back at the hospital?” Cas continues. Has the love in Castiel’s eyes _always_ been there? “I told you I wasn’t your friend because I was in love with you. Then later, outside the car, after Sam stalked off to get some air, you grabbed me and kissed me. And whispered it back to me.”

“I think we’re gonna need more beers,” Sam deduces, flying out of his chair.

Dean licks his lips and turns back to look at his father. So many times, he’s stood in front of John Winchester brotherless, loverless. No buffer to protect him from the onslaught of rage. So many times, he’s stared back at a face of utter resentment—so twisted, it  _would_ often get stuck like that for the remainder of the night. It happened so many times, he’d cry himself to sleep, wondering if he’d ever be loved by either of his parents.

And now, thirteen years later, he’s face-to-face with what he thinks is that look. The look of not only love, but validation.

John sees Dean for the first time in  _forty_ years.

“Well then.” Is all he says.

Sam returns with the beers, and Dean decides to say it first:

“Dad, none of this would’ve happened without you.”

John smiles. It’s barely close-mouthed and doesn’t reach his eyes, but Dean doesn’t think he’s ever seen his dad smile so wide. “It’s fine. I went out taking out yellow-eyes.” He pauses. Dean counts the third smile in the last ten seconds. “That was the point, right? I mean, get the thing that killed Mom.”

Dean glances over at his brother when it hits him. Sam’s already miles ahead of him. “Y-Yeah, um, Dad. About that...”

Just then, as if the Heavens commanded it once again, Mary Campbell’s sweet voice catches John’s ears: “Sam? Dean?”

And just like that, the smile from John’s face is washed away again—crumbling and trembling under his own resolve: one he’s been keeping up for far too long. “Mary,” he breathes.

Mary roots herself to the entry way as John takes her in. It’s like she’s containing herself from running full-force into his arms. Which is exactly what she does.

Sam taps Dean’s arm. Dean follows, Cas in tow, as they start to leave. Mary’s voice stops them.

“Sam?”

Sam snaps his head back to his parents— _their_ parents—entangled in each other like the teenagers they should’ve always been. “Yeah?”

“When are we gonna see you with a nice girl?”

The room bursts into laughter. Sam’s left to blush as he waves off their inquiry like  _he’s_ a teenager.

Dean watches on at the scene with a smile. From Mom to Dad, to Sam, and even to Cas—whose hand will probably substitute his own the next time he’s in the restroom at the rate he’s going.

Even though this is all temporary, he’d selfishly screw over the world one more time to have this.

It is the family business after all.

 

 

 

 


End file.
